Romney and Republicans Began Month With $34 Million Advantage, Filings Show

Mitt Romney and the Republicans began October with a $34 million advantage over President Obama and the Democrats, according to disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission on Friday and Saturday, as heavy spending by Mr. Obama offset his stronger fund-raising in the past two months.

Mr. Romney, the Republican National Committee and their joint fund-raising committee ended September with $183 million in cash, compared with $149 million for Mr. Obama, the Democratic National Committee and their joint fund-raising effort, just as Mr. Romney’s campaign began to gain momentum in early October.

The filings show little evidence of jitters or second thoughts from Republican donors in September, a month when Mr. Romney lagged in some polls and struggled against Mr. Obama. At least 8,800 donors gave Mr. Romney the $2,500 maximum contribution for the general election, somewhat fewer than in August, but still more than twice as many as Mr. Obama, who continued to rely more heavily on donors giving less than $200.

Mr. Obama’s high spending rate in September — his campaign spent $116 million, much of it on advertising — has largely erased one of his biggest financial advantages over Mr. Romney. Whereas Mr. Obama once held far more money in his own campaign account, Mr. Romney has narrowed the gap, ending September with $62 million in his campaign account compared with Mr. Obama’s $99 million.

After struggling over the summer with cash-flow problems that forced him to take out a $20 million loan, Mr. Romney began tapping his general election funds in September, while the Republican National Committee continued to far outpace the Democratic National Committee in overall fund-raising for the month.

The Republican committee pulled in $48 million in contributions, ending with almost $83 million in cash on hand. The Democratic committee raised about $8 million and carried so much debt that it ended September in the red.

The cash positions reflect risks for both candidates as they enter the final weeks of the campaign. Mr. Obama invested tens of millions of dollars in early voter outreach, staff and field offices — in part to prepare for early voting in many states — and was forced to spend heavily on advertising against Mr. Romney over the summer, money that was largely matched by conservative “super PACs” and outside groups.

That trend continued in September, when Mr. Obama and the D.N.C. spent about $90.5 million on television and radio advertising, more than double the $42.3 million spent on ads by Mr. Romney and the R.N.C. Now Mr. Obama has less money to spend when some polls show him trailing Mr. Romney in some key swing states.

But Mr. Romney faces an opposite problem: He must spend even more aggressively now if he wants to equal Mr. Obama’s past investments in voter outreach, staff and field offices, and has less time to do it. The Republicans transferred $20.5 million to state parties in September, about as much as the Democrats’ $19 million, and significantly less to the Republican organization in Ohio, where Mr. Obama still holds a narrow lead.

Mr. Romney and the Republicans’ payroll costs reached $2.6 million in September, far less than the $4.4 million spent by Mr. Obama and the Democrats, suggesting they are operating with a leaner paid staff.

Mr. Obama’s small donor base allows him to raise much of his money with little continuing investment of time and money. But both sides spent equally heavily — about $4.8 million, on catering, entertainment and events in September — reflecting pushes to raise large checks almost until the last minute.

Despite an increase in giving to the leading Democratic super PACs, including Priorities USA Action, the group founded by former Obama aides, overall outside spending this cycle has benefited Republicans more than Democrats. Conservative groups have spent $463 million, more than twice as much as the $194 million spent by Democratic groups.

The lead group backing Mr. Romney, Restore Our Future, ended September with $16 million in cash, more than double the cash on hand for Priorities USA Action.

Over the past week, according to a Republican tracking media purchases, the Romney campaign, the R.N.C. and Republican-aligned groups spent about $34.6 million in ads in the presidential race. Mr. Obama, the Democrats and liberal groups spent about $24.4 million in ads, a gap of more than $10 million.

A version of this article appears in print on October 21, 2012, on page A22 of the New York edition with the headline: Romney and Republicans Began Month With $34 Million Advantage, Filings Show. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe